Bee Health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) Annual Report 2024

Imports of bees

Import controls are in place to reduce the risk of introducing and spreading exotic bee pests. It is essential that anyone importing bees complies with all import conditions to safeguard the health of honey bees in the UK.

Since the UK’s exit from the EU, the status of EU as a third country means that, according to domestic legislation, direct import of honey bees to Great Britain is only permitted for queens; imports of colonies or packages of bees are no longer permitted. Along with tariffs, increased post import controls for queens and reported delays mean that producers favour the importation of honey bees through Northern Ireland (NI). NI remains to all effects part of the EU SPS zone, and import of honey bee queens, packages and colonies remains possible. Once in NI, The NI Protocol allows for unfettered access of goods from NI into GB. Data indicates a decline in direct imports to GB, alongside a significant rise in imports to NI. This has raised concerns regarding pest checks and the heightened risk of introducing exotic pests, as many of these imports are only passing through NI on their way to GB, meaning that NI Bee Inspectors do not always have the capacity to inspect these consignments.

While trade remains a reserved matter handled by the UK Government on a UK-wide basis, the Scottish Government is aware of the impact of EU Exit on Scottish beekeepers. Officials continue to raise concerns and seek solutions to the diversion of imports through NI into GB, as well as raising the risk of potential illegal imports and other issues, through ongoing discussions with the UK Government.

For full details on importing bees into Scotland, please refer to the official guidance.